It's an absolute rarity in Hollywood for anyone to get to play one character for 25 years. But thanks to Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes gets to do just that. Mewes has played the spirited stoner Jay of the duo "Jay and Silent Bob" since 1994, taking the character from the outside of a convenience store to saving the world from renegade angels. The latest visit to the character, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, brings the two into the 2010s.

A spiritual and literal sequel to 2001's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Mewes and Smith take Jay and Silent Bob to Los Angeles once more in the reboot. Of course, further complications ensue, including Jay coming face-to-face with his daughter, played by Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn.

RELATED: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Home Video Release Date Announced

CBR spoke with Mewes about his reaction to revisiting the character, his own turn in the director's chair and the screening tour he and Smith have done since last year.

CBR: When Kevin first approached you about Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, what was your initial reaction?

Mewes: Honestly, I had been approaching him! We spent a lot of time together. Every time we toured with [our podcasts] "Jay and Silent Bob Get Old" and "Groovy Movie," I would tell him, "Hey man, I think we should do another Jay and Bob movie. Not only would it be awesome and fun, but we've been talking a lot about the old movies. Let's have a new movie to talk about." So I had been asking him for years.

There was no question about me wanting to do it. I just didn't want to get my hopes up. That was my first reaction, honestly. I was super excited, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. It's not as easy to get a movie going as one would think. You've got to get the money together and figure out the timing. So I was excited, but I waited until things were actually in motion. I got really excited after I read the script and I was laughing out loud.

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as Bluntman and Chronic in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"

Reboot brings out a brand-new side of Jay's character, as he becomes a father. What was the process like to add that dimension to a character you've been playing for so long?

Luckily, it came about easier than expected. I know Harley, Kevin's daughter, so well. I've known her since she was a baby. So we have a really close relationship. When she would get all teary-eyed, I would get teary-eyed. It really worked well for me and helped me get to places I couldn't even know I could get to.

I wasn't expecting Kevin to take it to that place. But over the years, Kevin has adapted the character to what's going on in real life. Back during Clerks 2, I had gotten arrested and put in rehab for six months for a deployed airbag. And Kevin had Jay and Silent Bob say they were in rehab. I was so excited for the character. I knew he'd make Jay more grown up and responsible, but I didn't know he was going to take it to that place.

But I was also a little nervous. I don't consider myself the greatest actor; I have trouble laughing on cue and definitely cannot cry on cue. But the script just called for me to get sentimental and upset in certain moments. Harley did such a great job, bringing her A-game on and off camera. Watching her got me to that place. Combining Kevin's writing, me channeling a young Jason Mewes and Harley's acting brought Jay to where he needed to be.

Jay and Silent Bob

On the note of writing, Reboot makes a lot of references to Jay and Silent Bob films in the past, while also putting the duo in modern-day situations. How do you feel the movie bridges the past and the present?

I think Kevin's writing is super clever. He brought in references to Tinder and ride shares. He's able to bring in all this new stuff and still keep all this old school stuff. One of my favorite scenes is when Jay tells Milly, "First, find a best friend who's a good listener" and references all their previous movies. It really touched me because I realized it's not only Jay telling Milly that, but it was also Jason Mewes telling Harley Quinn Smith about his and her father's adventures for the past 25 years. It was a really meta moment. Everything Kevin wrote was super fun, but also lovingly meta.

RELATED: Jay & Silent Bob Reboot: Kevin Smith Breaks Down Benoist v Kilmer Scene

Last year you had your directorial debut with Madness in the Method. Did your work with Kevin over the years inspire your technique in any way?

I actually feel the opposite. Working for so many years in all these indie movies, I've worked with some directors where it was their first time. They would be working on scenes and I'd put my input in. I started noticing when I would do scenes, I would look at the character as a director. A lot of directors will do take after take with all these different shots and setups because there's a separate editor who needs a lot of footage. But Kevin edits his own movies. So as we're shooting, he sees the edit in his mind, and we don't need to record extra footage. When I started directing, I noticed myself doing that as well. I did have a separate editor, but I tended to think that way.

I really want to do another one. But next time, I don't want to be in the whole movie as the main character. It was a lot to block scenes and plan out shots, then go get into wardrobe and hair and make-up and memorize my dialogue. That was definitely challenging.

jay-and-silent-bob-header

You've been touring Reboot in screenings across the United States and Canada. What has the experience been like to connect in person with fans, some of whom have been following these characters for 25 years?

It's been amazing. We did an initial premiere without a Q&A, for the cast and crew. And it went over well, but people missed certain jokes. So it's been nice to see the difference in each audience. Every audience gets different jokes. Every time someone from the old movies comes out, like Jason Lee or Brian O'Halloran, they cheer. It's been awesome to do the Q&A afterward and hear what people thought. We've also gotten to do meet-and-greets and it's been great to sit with people for 15 minutes.

We've heard awesome stories. This one dude, for example, told us he was in an orphanage at 12 years old. He had no family or friends. This guy came to adopt him, and it started out really awkwardly. He was really worried he wouldn't be taken in, then he would turn 18 and have nowhere to go. He was really depressed. Suddenly, the guy was like, "Hey, want to watch a movie?" And he put Clerks in. And they started bonding. The next time he came and asked to see him, and they watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Eventually, he adopted him, and he became he dad. He feels that the movies literally saved his life. We would never heard that if we didn't do the tours.

Written, directed by and starring Kevin Smith, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot also stars Jason Mewes along with appearances by Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Brian O'Halloran, Val Kilmer, Melissa Benoist, Jason Biggs and Fred Armisen. The film is now available on home video.

KEEP READING: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: Every Single Cameo